U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Lebanese Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri to use his influence to help advance the disarmament of Hezbollah, particularly in southern Lebanon, and support the proposed U.S.-backed framework agreement between Beirut and Israel, according to informed Lebanese political sources.

The sources told Erem News that the message was conveyed to Berri by members of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's delegation following the recent summit between Aoun and Trump at the White House.

According to the sources, Washington is seeking a phased approach to the issue of Hezbollah's weapons, beginning with ending the group's military presence in southern Lebanon in order to secure an early breakthrough in implementing the framework agreement.

Under the proposed approach, Berri would play a central role in reaching an understanding with Hezbollah regarding its arsenal in southern villages in exchange for reconstruction projects and economic development in the south, a formula that supporters believe could strengthen support for the plan within Lebanon's Shiite community.

Trump appeared to signal such a role for Berri during his joint press conference with Aoun at the White House, describing the veteran Lebanese politician as "a good man" and saying that "when he sees the progress we've made, he'll join us," in reference to the ongoing U.S.-mediated negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

Linking Disarmament to Reconstruction

Berri, commenting after the Aoun-Trump summit, said the true measure of the meeting would be its ability to consolidate the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and secure a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

A senior Lebanese political figure told Erem News that Trump hopes Berri can persuade Hezbollah to reduce its military presence in southern Lebanon, thereby facilitating implementation of the framework agreement.

In return, the United States would provide guarantees for reconstruction and back economic development projects in southern Lebanon, with participation from Washington and friendly Arab countries, according to the source.

The same source said the U.S. administration believes Berri could also help encourage Hezbollah to loosen some of its ties with Tehran at a time when segments of the Shiite community increasingly favor operating under the authority of the Lebanese state. According to the source, many within Hezbollah's traditional support base have concluded that the group has placed Iran's strategic interests above the security of Lebanon's Shiite community.

The source added that Washington wants Berri to become an integral part of the framework agreement, believing his participation would strengthen the initiative while helping the United States pressure Israel to accelerate its withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

A Potential Channel to Hezbollah

Although Berri did not participate in the White House meeting, political observers viewed him as the most significant absent figure from the discussions, amid reports that Trump sees him as a possible channel of communication with Hezbollah.

According to the sources, Washington hopes such a channel could allow it to address the disarmament issue independently of Iran while simultaneously signaling to Tehran that the United States is capable of weakening the influence of its regional allies.

Regional affairs researcher Imad Chidiac said Washington is betting on Berri to help contain the Shiite community as Hezbollah's military capabilities diminish, particularly if the group is eventually disarmed.

"Hezbollah will struggle to remain simply a political party after drawing its support base into broader ideological battles centered on defending Iran,"Chidiac told Erem News.

He argued that if Hezbollah's arsenal is dismantled through the process currently being pursued by Washington and Beirut, many Shiites are likely to seek another political umbrella rooted in the same sectarian and cultural environment.

"In that case, Amal and Nabih Berri would be the only realistic alternative," he said.

Chidiac described Berri as the only political figure capable of maintaining the Shiite community's alignment with Lebanon's national interests while steering it away from another regional conflict.

He also claimed that relations between Berri, the Amal Movement and successive U.S. administrations have long been established, arguing that many of the speaker's political decisions have historically been coordinated with Washington.

Washington's Focus on State Institutions

Lebanese affairs researcher Rabih Yassin offered a different assessment, arguing that the United States is placing greater confidence in Lebanese state institutions than in individual political leaders.

Yassin pointed to several outcomes of the Aoun-Trump summit—including Trump's announcement that direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon would resume for the first time since 1985—as evidence that President Aoun had secured significant U.S. commitments.

He said Berri's previous role as Washington's principal interlocutor had largely shifted to the Lebanese government after friendly countries concluded that engaging state institutions, rather than individual political figures, offered a more sustainable approach.

Nevertheless, Yassin said Berri could still play a supportive role as the Lebanese state implements the pilot zones established under the emerging framework agreement.

He also believes Berri recognizes the risks facing Lebanon and the wider region and may attempt to persuade Hezbollah to cooperate with the disarmament process. However, he argued that Berri's influence would have limits because the ultimate decision rests not with Hezbollah itself but with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Yassin concluded that Hezbollah's future will ultimately be determined by two parallel tracks: diplomacy, represented by President Aoun, the prime minister and the ongoing negotiations, and developments on the ground, including continued Israeli military pressure.

In his view, the Trump administration has little appetite for allowing the issue of Hezbollah's weapons to remain unresolved indefinitely.